Alabama 17.5-Point Favorites vs Notre Dame in Opening Rose Bowl CFP Semifinal Odds
By Robert Duff in College Football
Updated: December 21, 2020 at 9:38 am ESTPublished:
- Alabama is a 17.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final
- The 11-0 Crimson Tide are back in the CFP after missing last season for the first time
- Overall, Alabama is 4-1 straight up in CFP semi-final games
As the Alabama Crimson Tide begin yet another quest for the national championship in the College Football Playoff, facing #4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal, the setting is a familiar one.
Alabama is a perfect 11-0 this season and Southeastern Conference champions. The Crimson Tide come into the CFP semifinal as large 17.5-point favorites.
Alabama is 4-1 straight up all-time in CFP semifinal games. The Tide are 3-2 against the spread.
Notre Dame vs Alabama Opening Rose Bowl Odds
| Team | Spread |
|---|---|
| Notre Dave | +17.5 (-110) |
| Alabama | -17.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Dec. 20th at William Hill
Since the CFP began in 2014, when Alabama has participated in the playoff, the Tide have either won the national championship, or the team that beat them did. Alabama are the -180 chalk to win the 2020 national championship.
Kickoff for the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day will be a mid-afternoon start at AT&T Stadium.
Is This the Best Alabama Team Ever?
Considering the success the Crimson Tide have enjoyed under head coach Nick Saban, on the surface bandying about talk of his greatest ever team might seem like hyperbole. However, watch the Tide play a game and they are absolutely worthy of that hype.
Alabama legitimately has three Heisman Trophy candidates, and they all went off in Saturday’s 52-46 SEC Championship Game win over Florida. Quarterback Mac Jones threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
Running back Najee Harris rumbled for 244 all-purpose yards, and also scored five TDs. Receiver DeVonta Smith racked up 184 yards in receptions, two of them for TDs.
Want the spot.
Got the spot.#RollTide x #SECChampionship pic.twitter.com/Im6jqmFuid
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 20, 2020
The Tide offense flattens opponents like a red-and-white steamroller. Alabama has scored at least 40 points in four games. The Tide have topped 50 points in four other games and went over 60 points twice. They’ve scored 73 TDs and covert in the red zone at a 90% rate.
Defensively, Alabama’s pass coverage is its Achilles heel. At the same time, the Tide held two opponents to a solitary field goal and posted one shutout.
Taking the Fight Out of the Irish
Notre Dame’s CFP history is that of a not-ready-for-prime-time player. The Fighting Irish displayed their flaws against Clemson in Saturday’s ACC Championship Game.
The Tigers avenged a regular-season loss to Notre Dame via a solid 34-10 verdict. The setback dropped 10-1 Notre Dame from #2 to #4 in the rankings.
No. 4️⃣@NDFootball is IN.#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/f6JHQBMsEy
— ESPN (@espn) December 20, 2020
That earlier victory over Clemson, coupled with a road victory at North Carolina, was enough in the eyes of the selection committee to enable the Irish to maintain the fourth and final CFP spot ahead of challengers such as Texas A&M and Cincinnati.
Notre Dame in BCS/NY6/CFP games last 25 years …
'01 Fiesta: L 41-9 to Oregon State.
'06 Fiesta: L 34-20 to Ohio State.
'07 Sugar: L 41-14 to LSU.
'13 BCS title game: L 42-14 to Bama.
'16 Fiesta: L 44-28 to Ohio State.
'18 CFP: L 30-3 to Clemson.Today's not surprising.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 19, 2020
Notre Dame was throttled 30-3 by Clemson in the 2018 CFP semifinals. The Irish also played in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game and were dumped 42-14 by Alabama.
Notre Dame hasn’t beaten Alabama since 1987.
Which Way Will the Line Move?
Under normal circumstances, it would be logical to expect the betting line to continue to lengthen in favor of the Crimson Tide. However, this is Notre Dame we’re talking about, so logic can be thrown out the window.
No. 1 Alabama beats No. 7 Florida 52-46 to win the SEC Championship
Jones: 33/43, 418 Yds, 5 TDs, INT
Harris: 245 total Yds, 5 TDs
Smith: 15 Rec, 184 Yds, 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/H0nMb52fkH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2020
The denizens of the subway alumni will ensure that there’s more public money wagered on the Fighting Irish then common sense suggests ever should be bet on the team.
That’s actually going to work in the favor of Alabama bettors. The line figures to remain artificially close, enabling Alabama to easily cover.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
